What Dreams May Come

An act of selflessness is an act done without thought of one’s own personal gain. The film What Dreams May Come has many prime examples of selflessness and how selflessness comes from love. The first of the three examples comes from the beginning of the film only a few days after the death of Christopher, also known as Christie. The second example comes from a flashback near the end of the film, after the death of Ian and Marie, Christie and Annie’s children. The last example comes from the very end of the film where Christie decides to stay with his wife, Annie, in Hell. This essay will identify and describe the three major acts of selflessness previously listed from the film What Dreams May Come.

The first example of selflessness comes from the very beginning of the movie What Dreams May Come, just after the death of Annie’s husband, Christie. Annie only has the memory of her late children, Ian and Marie, and now her recently deceased husband. Christie’s ghostly conscience tries to help Annie grieve but all he succeeds in doing is hurting her more. After a couple instances of this, Christie realizes that in order to help the woman he loves he must leave her forever and pass on from his ghostly state. When Christie stops haunting Annie he is doing it because he cares more about Annie’s happiness than his selfish desire to stay with Annie. Therefore, he is showing selflessness by putting Annie and her happiness before his own.

The second example of selflessness comes near the end of the film in the form of a flashback when Christie was still alive, after the death of Annie’s and his own children, Ian and Marie. Annie has had many troubles coping with the death of her children, to the point where she has self-harmed and was put ...

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...e movie. The first is in the beginning after the death of Annie’s husband Christie. The second comes about three quarters into the movie as a flash back showing when Annie was put into a psychiatric hospital. The third and final act of selflessness comes in the very last scenes of the movie where Christie gives up his happy afterlife to stay with his wife in Hell. All three of the previous stated events show Christie in acts of selflessness, giving up his happiness in order for the one he loves most, his wife Annie. These actions all fit with the definition of selflessness, an act done without thought of one’s own personal gain. Selflessness has been demonstrated by Christie many times and throughout this essay. There have been three different acts of selflessness from the main character, Chris Nielsen from the film What Dreams May Come, identified and explained.